


Competitive Spirit

by TheCrusaderKing



Category: Amphibia (Cartoon)
Genre: Accidental Kissing, Competition, F/F, Making Out, Mud, Swordfighting, Wilderness, Wrestling, don't worry if you're only here for the sashanne that's still the focus, it's all part of the competition, some sashannarcy but it's not endgame so i'm not tagging it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 17:54:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27500341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCrusaderKing/pseuds/TheCrusaderKing
Summary: Out hunting on the way home from Newtopia, Anne runs into a familiar face in the wilderness, sparking a battle that takes them from one extreme to the other...
Relationships: Anne Boonchuy & Hopadiah "Hop Pop" Plantar & Sprig Plantar, Anne Boonchuy & Sasha Waybright, Anne Boonchuy & Sasha Waybright & Marcy Wu, Anne Boonchuy/Sasha Waybright
Comments: 54
Kudos: 152





	1. Competitive Spirit

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. Here we go, with the second request I mentioned. An anonymous request for a sashanne fic, done to their specification. Not that there was all that much, just an idea to get me started. Which honestly works for me, not complaining or anything... I hope they like it!
> 
> 2\. As always, hope you enjoy the fic, and I look forward to any and all feedback! It's what I thrive on!

_‘How did we get like this..?’_

That was the question Anne asked herself that fateful day in the Amphibian wilderness, as her chipped iron sword clashed against the brilliant pink of her erstwhile friend Sasha’s own blade.

Abstractly, it referred to the general state of their relationship, how it had ended up in such a dark place that it was even possible for them to be like this, in an actual fight with actual, pointy swords, when just four months ago, they were drinking smoothies together and hanging out as best friends did. It would probably take a career psychologist to fully unpack the years of slights, mistreatment, and slowly building tension that had allowed them to reach such a low point. No doubt therapy would be involved as well, though Anne personally felt it was Sasha who would benefit the most from such a thing (fully aware that Sasha would bite her head off if she even suggested it).

More literally, it referred to the here and now of them battling against one another across the muddy terrain of the wilds, leaving a trail of sliced branches and footprints in the soft ground as Anne beat a fighting retreat from the enraged blonde.

The day had started off simply enough for the one-shoed girl. She was on her way back to Wartwood with the Plantars to retrieve the Calamity Box, having left her friend Marcy behind in Newtopia. It left a hole in her heart for them to be separated once more, but she knew they’d meet again, and soon, they’d have all the time in the world to hang out once they were back home. For now, Anne just wanted to savor her time with the Plantars, however much of it she had left...

Somewhere around late morning, Hop Pop mentioned going hunting to ensure they’d have the food to make it back. Anne had jumped at the chance, eager to prove all she had learned after her disastrous last outing, when her entire adopted family had almost perished to the jaws and stinger of a scorpileo.

Sprig had gone with her, and after a short walk, they decided to split up to cover more ground in the hopes of bringing back double the food.

Alone, Anne ventured deep into the wilderness, making sure to pay attention to where she was so that she could make her way back to the fa-wagon (ugh, she couldn’t believe she’d actually called it that). She also kept an eye out for potential threats, having developed a certain weariness for the dangers of Amphibia after so many close calls, both at Wartwood, and on the way to Newtopia.

Of all the things she could’ve run into, giant spiders and massive, frog-eating weasels, she never expected to find Sasha out here...

It was as she pushed through a collection of massive ferns into a clearing that she caught sight of the other girl standing just a few paces away... and Sasha caught sight of her.

Judging by the bow and arrow currently knocked and pointed at her chest, Anne surmised that Sasha was out here for the same reason she was. Her mind boggled at the odds even as they locked eyes, and Anne saw a shock in those blue orbs that was no doubt reflected in her own brown pair. Amphibia was a big place, and Anne couldn’t even begin to imagine the luck needed for them to not only be in the same region, but to meet up in the exact same place as well. It would’ve seemed absurd if it wasn’t actually happening to her at that moment.

Sasha was wearing the same armor she’d worn back at the tower, only missing a pauldron and without the cloak she’d had before… before their fight. She lowered the bow slowly as Anne breathed out a quiet. “Sasha..?” 

The younger girl released a silent sigh of relief at that, not that she’d thought the blonde would actually _shoot her_ or anything…

For a moment, they stared at each other, as Anne’s mind raced with all the things she wanted to say, had wanted to say since the tower... _I’m so glad you’re okay! Why did you let go? I found Marcy! Where did you go? How could you try to hurt my friends like that? Are you… are you sorry?_

Slowly, the bow slipped out of Sasha’s hands, thunking wetly into the dirt below. Anne stared at it for a second, then looked up at the blonde questioningly, frowning with concern at the strange look growing on her face…

“Are… are you okay?” 

At those words, a delighted, half-deranged smile started to grace Sasha’s lips as she pulled out her custom-made sword. _“Oh_ _Anne…”_ She crooned. _“I’ve never felt better…”_

Stomach twisting, Anne managed to unsheathe her own, much less cool-looking blade and dig her heels into the soft ground, just in time to block Sasha’s first blow as the other girl leered menacingly at her from between their crossed swords. She spared a brief thought to thank the combat-trainer/criminal mastermind Tritonio for his reflex training before she was engrossed in the fight as Sasha pulled back for another harsh strike.

That was how Anne had ended up here, backing away quickly through sharp branches and sticky leaves as Sasha swung and sliced at her with wild abandon, growing frustration on her face as Anne either blocked or refused to engage each time.

“Wha- _what is wrong with you?!”_ She gasped at the blonde, narrowly avoiding falling on her butt as her heel caught on a large tree root.

That just seemed to enrage Sasha more, her lips curling into a snarl as she stepped over the root with contemptuous ease, as if to mock Anne’s own lack of grace. “What’s wrong with me? _What’s wrong with me?!”_ She let out a guttural battle cry as she swung her blade in a wide arc, just barely missing Anne as it sunk into the trunk of the tree and remained there, even as Sasha tried to leverage the hilt to pull it free.

Anne knew she should take advantage of this opportunity, though whether that meant running away or striking back, she wasn’t quite sure. Instead, throwing aside all common sense, she tried one last time to convince Sasha to stop fighting…

“Look, Sash, you don’t have to do this! I just… I care about you, and I want us to be _friends_ again. Just _please… stop.”_

She poured her very heart and soul into the words, and for a moment, it seemed to have an effect on the blonde. Blue eyes widened slightly, barely restrained emotion shimmering within as she stopped struggling with her sword. Then, like it had never existed, the moment passed, and Sasha fixed her with a piercing glare. “Okay, _fine._ You want us to be friends again? Say you’re sorry for betraying me back at the tower, and come back to camp with me. _End. Of. Discussion.”_

Anne was shaking her head at the ultimatum even before she spoke her denial. “That’s not going to happen. I’m _sorry_ that I hurt you, but I will _never_ apologize for standing up to you and protecting my friends. I regret a lot of what happened there, but I don’t regret that. And I’m _not_ going to abandon the Plantars! Not for anything!”

At the mention of her adopted frog family, Sasha seemed to lose whatever restraint she had left, ripping her blade from the trunk with a visceral growl as she lunged forward once more. Unlike before however, Anne met her head on, determined to not let Sasha push her around. Not anymore.

Even as her own anger grew, Anne was shocked to see a flash of a _grin_ on the blonde’s face as they clashed, advantage ebbing and flowing as they ended up in a clearing, a different one from where they’d found each other. She wasn’t sure how she’d expected the other girl to react to her newfound courage, but _that_ definitely wasn’t it! As Sasha’s attacks grew more energetic, Anne couldn’t help but wonder if this was what she’d wanted all along, a proper battle…

_‘Oh Sasha… what have you been up to..?’_

Training, as far as Anne could tell, from Sasha’s noticeably improved skills. While Anne had been traveling to Newtopia, Sasha had clearly been busy in her own way. _‘Training… for what? For this? To beat me? I knew she wouldn’t take her loss well, but-’_

She was forced to put that thought on hold as her left foot slipped out from under her, arms swinging as she just managed to right herself in time for Sasha’s next swing, a shock running up her bones at the force behind it.

That was a problem which hadn’t been present at their last fight. It had been raining heavily all throughout the previous night, and it was clear the ground here had gorged heavily on it, becoming soft and mushy, and rendering it almost impossible to get a good footing. It was likely the one thing keeping their duel somewhat equal, an obstacle that even Sasha’s relentless skill couldn’t seem to surmount, as she slipped and slid just as much as Anne.

Breathing heavily, Sasha stood a few feet away from her, pink sword raised and ready. She looked about as exhausted as Anne felt, but she raised her own blade resolutely in challenge, ready for their next clash.

Sasha took the first step, Anne following as they charged each other, ready to meet head-on as they swung their swords…

At that moment, disaster struck, for _both_ of them. As their blades met, the force of the impact, combined with the slick mud underfoot, caused them both to lose their footing as they stumbled back from each other. Anne heard Sasha yelp, too preoccupied to look over at the other girl as she desperately tried to correct her footing. In her panic, the grip of her right hand loosened, as she _felt_ more than saw her blade leave her hands, accidently throwing it away in her scrambling as she finally managed to find a somewhat steady foothold.

Icey horror growing in her stomach, Anne looked over to Sasha, fearing herself helpless. To her surprise, the blonde was unarmed as well, looking quite perturbed as she held her arms out to steady herself. They’d both managed to lose their weapons in the confusion!

Thinking quickly, Anne chanced a second’s glance around her, knowing that if she could find her sword first, she could _force_ Sasha to stop this insanity…

It was a second too many.

At the sound of rapid, squelching footsteps, Anne turned back to the blonde, just in time to have the breath forced out of her lungs as Sasha straight-up tackled her to the ground, sending up a large spray of mud as she made impact with the earth.

And so their battle went from a somewhat-dignified duel of swords, to a messy brawl in the mud as Anne struggled against the older girl desperately.

Right away, it was clear that Sasha was the stronger of the two, not that Anne was surprised. It had been that way for years now. Of course, having spent three months doing hard labor on the Plantar Family Farm, she had been building her strength quite well, enough to put up a decent fight against the blonde at least.

For long minutes, they squirmed and rolled on the ground, grappling and grunting in frustration as they tried to overcome each other, far beyond words at this point. By now Anne was absolutely covered in mud, and Sasha wasn’t much better off. It was in her hair, sticking the curls together in thick clumps. It smeared against her skin wherever it was exposed, and soaked through her school uniform, an absolutely disgusting feeling that made her long for the shower Sasha had somehow managed to set up at Toad Tower. She couldn’t really afford to think about it though, knowing that being filthy would be the least of her problems if she allowed Sasha to beat her…

Finally, she found an opportunity to end the stalemate, and she took it, pushing Sasha away as she managed to stand up on shaking feet.

Before Anne could do anything, like run away, or find her sword, or even try to pin Sasha down, the blonde was reaching up for her, pulling her down by her arm before she could even complete a single step, apparently determined to continue their confrontation on the ground.

She landed atop Sasha in a heap, forcing the other girl flat on her back as Anne barely managed to catch herself by her elbows in the mud, stopping just short of cracking their skulls together. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to keep them from smushing their faces together, noses crushing against each other, and wild eyes staring directly into their opposite number. What _really_ stole Anne’s attention though, was the position of her lips, or rather… _their_ lips…

_‘I… uh… what… that’s…’_

Anne’s brain was officially short-circuiting as she felt Sasha’s lips pressed tightly against her own. Even though it was an accident, even though it wasn’t _technically_ a real kiss, that didn’t stop her mind from going into overdrive as it tried to process the unfamiliar sensation.

Despite herself, Anne couldn’t help but acknowledge how _soft_ Sasha’s lip were… not that she’d expected anything different… not that she’d ever thought about it before, either! _Definitely not!_ Not in a million years..!

Just as Anne realized that _maybe_ she should pull away before Sasha got any ideas, she found their positions reversed as she was thrown roughly onto her back, staring up at bright blue eyes that seemed torn between shock, horror, and pure unbridled indignation at what had just occurred. _“What was that?!”_ The blonde hissed, seemingly forgetting about their battle for the moment.

Anne blinked slowly for a moment, unable to reconcile the Sasha she knew, angry and confidant and above-it-all, with the blushing mess staring down at her. She couldn’t recall having _ever_ seen her this flustered before, not that she could blame her, y’know, _considering the circumstances._

“Well?! Are you gonna explain yourself you little weirdo?! I-you… you can’t just _do that…”_

“He- _hey!_ It’s not like I _wanted_ to do that!” Anne replied defensively, having trouble believing the sheer difference between this interaction and the fight they’d just been in. _“You_ were the one who pulled me down on top of you! _Great plan Sash!”_

The blonde didn’t take kindly to the sarcasm, or the reflection of blame. She started to splutter in denial, but Anne was long since past caring about that, just wanting to get away from this increasingly embarrassing situation. She started to struggle again, and Sasha once more moved to grapple her, seemingly more from instinct than anything else as she continued to expound upon every reason why what had just happened was entirely Anne’s fault and not at all a result of her own actions...

As Anne struggled to push Sasha off of her, she saw an opportunity to put Sasha off-balance as the other girl planted a hand into the mud by her head, clearly looking for a better position to keep her in place…

The second Anne got an arm loose, she lashed out, the slick mud aiding her as she shoved Sasha’s hand out from under her...

Unfortunately, her action had an unintended consequence. Namely that, with no hand to hold her up, Sasha flopped down on Anne, faces smashing together again. Like fate itself was working to humiliate them, their lips were soon pressed up against one another once again, as Anne screamed internally at her horrible luck.

Sasha sat up quickly, reacting much more promptly than Anne had, much to her mixed relief/mortification.

_“Now_ who’s the weirdo?!” Anne spat out, deciding that the best way to avoid the embarrassment was by pushing it on someone else.

“Still you!” Sasha insisted lamely. “That was _definitely_ your fault!”

Wrapped up in her own shame/humiliation, Anne barely noticed Sasha’s rather strange reaction to their accidental smooch. Where before, the blonde had been clearly mortified and outraged, this time, she seemed rather… curious?

Suddenly, that look shifted to determination, and Anne had just enough time to feel a nervous twinge in her stomach before Sasha was lunging back down, moving quicker than a striking snake as she pinned Anne’s lips with her own, and leaving no doubts as to the intentionality of her move.

Immediately, Anne’s eyes widened in shock, and she froze as once again, their lips were pressed together. Only this time, there was no mistaking the shifting of Sasha’s lips as they moved against her own. Sasha… Sasha was _kissing_ her!

She should’ve been repulsed by the move… she should’ve pushed the blonde away, and told her off...she should’ve done a lot of things…

But she didn’t.

In spite of all the embarrassment she’d felt, the fact that they’d been _fighting_ just a few minutes before, or that they were both _covered_ in mud… Anne couldn’t deny how nice it felt to have Sasha kissing her like this. After all of the chaos of the past few months… the unfamiliar world, the traveling she’d done… the fight they’d had, almost a month ago now… kissing Sasha felt like coming home. Like, despite everything, they still _had_ something…

Releasing a contented sigh against those pink lips, Anne brought her arms up to Sasha’s hips, eager to cradle the other girl as she fully reciprocated the kiss…

...Only for Sasha to grab her wrists with her own hands, pinning them down firmly as the kiss grew rougher, more… _possessive…_

...And suddenly, Anne’s contentment and happiness were replaced with _ire_ and _outrage._

She just couldn’t believe the other girl. That even with something as _sacred_ and _innocent_ as a kiss, Sasha just couldn’t help but take control, dominating her like she had with everything else in their lives until that point. It was utterly _infuriating,_ and in a split second, Anne decided that she wouldn’t stand for it. Not this time.

She bided her time, knowing she wouldn’t be able to do anything with her hands pinned like they were. Eventually, Sasha lessened her grip, seemingly assured of her surrender as the kiss continued. Anne tried not to let on to her true intentions as she continued moving her lips against the other girl’s smoothly. Suddenly, in a single, smooth motion that she would pat herself on the back for if she wasn’t already preoccupied, Sasha was on her back, with Anne bearing her down into the mud.

Anne couldn’t help it. She smirked into the kiss, even as the other girl’s armor pressed uncomfortably against her ribs. It was just too satisfying, to know that she’d gotten one up on her friend, who’d always seemed so invincible...

Sasha didn’t like that. Not one bit.

As Anne held her down, Sasha growled against her lips in frustration. _Actually. Growled!_

It would’ve been ridiculous if it didn’t make Anne’s blood boil like nothing ever had before, and she struggled to keep the blonde pinned, eventually losing her grip as they rolled once again…

And that was how it went for a bit, like some surreal continuation of their previous struggle. Anne couldn’t deny that this was a much more pleasant battle though, even if they were getting increasingly covered in mud the longer they continued. She didn’t care. All that mattered to her now was _winning…_ whatever winning meant when your ‘contest’ was literally just making out.

Sadly, humans do need oxygen to survive, and so they eventually had to break the kiss, falling back from where they’d been kneeling in the mud together, both held up on shaky arms as they stared at each other in an undisguised mixture of shock and awe.

Breathing heavily, Anne’s mind was once again cluttered with everything she wanted to say and do. She wanted to ask what this meant for them… she wanted to pull Sasha into another kiss until they determined the winner… trapped by indecision, all she could do was gaze upon Sasha’s flushed, mud-covered face, and Sasha did the same to her, both of them just watching each other for one minute… two...

Suddenly, the silence was broken, but not by either of them. Anne could hear voices in the distance, calling out… calling out _Sasha’s_ name… _‘Toads…’_

She couldn’t stay here, and so she stood on shivering legs, spotting a glint in the mud that turned out to be her wayward sword. At that moment, she couldn’t help but be glad she lost the dang thing…

With her weapon back in its place, Anne turned back to Sasha. The blonde had yet to move from her position on the ground, simply staring at her as she stared back. On the tip of Anne’s tongue was a request… _please, come back with me…_

She knew though, that Sasha wouldn’t do it. Not yet at least.

Making her way to the edge of the clearing as she tried to work out the way back in her head, Anne chanced one last look back as she left. Sasha was still there, not even trying to stop her as the voices drew near… Anne left through the underbrush as those voices suddenly called out in greeting to the blonde, moving quietly so as to avoid detection…

Anne returned to the Plantars with no food, drenched head-to-toe in mud and aching all over from her ordeal. She made up a quick story about an accident, a fall down a hill that explained her current state to her adopted family. It was a sting to her pride, but she’d take the playful mockery and teasing of Sprig and Polly over the reactions she’d get if they found out what she’d _really_ been up to out there.

In a way, it _was_ an accident… a crazy, implausible, embarrassing, utterly _thrilling_ accident that is…

As she splashed water from a pail on her face, trying to clear the worst of the filth from her skin, Anne couldn’t help but think of Sasha, hoping that their next encounter would be under much _cleaner_ circumstances…

And there _would_ be a next encounter if Anne had anything to say about it. They had a score to settle, and Anne was determined to be the _winner_ for once...


	2. Round 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A month after their fateful encounter in the Amphibian wilds, Anne seeks out Sasha to discuss what had happened in the heat of the moment. It doesn't really go as planned. Or does it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. At long last, I have the bonus chapter I've mentioned on tumblr a few times finished. Could probably do with a bit more polish, but I'm honestly happy the way it is, and I'm determined to get a chapter of Cell Dates out before the month is finished, so here you go!
> 
> 2\. Was feeling pretty inspired after finishing the original fic, so I decided why not write a little sequel? Well, I say little, but this ended up being longer than the original. Oh well...
> 
> 3\. As always, I hope you all enjoy my writing, and I look forward to everyone's feedback!

**Anne**

Standing just outside the entrance to Sasha’s tent, Anne was frozen in hesitation as she struggled to think of a way to broach the topic on her mind...

Just a week before, a truce had been made between the Newtopian forces and the army created by Sasha and Grime, giving them an opportunity to meet in order to come to a settlement that would hopefully satisfy both parties enough to prevent all-out war. To this end, a camp had been set up on neutral-ground, where representatives from both sides could stay as the meetings went on. It was at this meeting ground that Anne and Marcy had spent the last week, allowing them the chance to meet with their wayward best friend, and hopefully reconcile the conflict that had separated them…

Or at least, that was what Anne wanted to do. The reality had been… less than productive.

Sasha had been willing to meet with her and Marcy, but was much less eager to admit any possible wrongdoing on her part. As one could imagine, this had somewhat stalled their progress on getting past their grievances and working together to get home. Between Sasha’s bad attitude and Anne’s increasing lack of patience with the blonde, it was a miracle they hadn’t gotten into _another_ fight...

Of course, that wasn’t _all_ Anne was interested in talking about… While making up with the blonde was high on her list of priorities, she couldn’t help but focus on one issue in particular… namely, the encounter they’d had in the wilderness, over a month ago now.

Just thinking about it made her blush, as she remembered the battle they’d fought, first with swords, which had then turned to wrestling in the mud, followed by…

_‘Warm lips, so soft, and yet pressed so harshly against her own… the strain of her muscles as she struggled to keep her place atop the blonde… the way Sasha held onto her, possessive and greedy and infuriating all at the same time…’_

When the manic euphoria she’d felt on the way back to the Plantars had eventually worn off, Anne had been beside herself with horror and embarrassment, blushing so badly that the others had thought her sick with a fever. It had been all she could do to not have a mental breakdown right then and there...

...And yet, the memory of their clash, so fresh and vivid at the time, had filled her with a sort of hazy delight as she twirled a curl of hair in her fingers, eagerly recalling every moment. How Sasha had felt so warm against her… the adrenaline that had coursed through her veins as she fought the blonde to a standstill with her arms and lips both, until neither had any oxygen left in their lungs to continue... Even their battle took on a new meaning in Anne’s mind, as she recalled the passion of their engagement, the way each of them had been so eager to overcome the other and claim _victory..._ The only thing tainting those memories was the lack of a clear winner in their unorthodox duel, an issue some deeply-buried part of her hoped would be rectified soon...

That wasn’t what she was here for though… _‘Like you really believe that…’ ‘You shut up, head voice!’_

Really, it wasn’t. All Anne wanted to do was have an honest discussion about the kiss with Sasha, to talk about what it had meant to each of them, and figure out what it meant for their future.

_‘I just… I just hope…’_

To be honest, Anne wasn’t sure what she hoped for. That it had meant nothing to Sasha? Just a moment of out-of-control passion brought on by their battle? Or that it _was_ something? That Sasha wanted to be… _more_ than friends? If they were even friends at this point?

No, scratch that last part. Despite everything that had happened between them, at the tower or in the wilds, she and Sasha had both made it clear that they still considered each other a friend, even if they were having some… _disagreements_ recently.

_‘I mean, friends fight all the time, right? Just… usually not with swords… and I don’t think friends kiss each other like that...’_

Unfortunately, actually finding an opportunity to discuss the kiss with Sasha had been easier said than done. Any time they were in the same room together, it was at a meeting, or _Marcy_ had been with them… Anne had thought of telling the shorter girl about the situation, but had decided on leaving it until she could actually talk it out with Sasha first. It saved her some embarrassment, but it made finding the right time much harder.

Even when Marcy wasn’t around, and there was no meeting to attend, Anne could never seem to locate the blonde until now. The toads were no help, always giving her the run-around until she was forced to call it quits…

_‘Heh, I guess no matter what the world or the species, Sasha manages to inspire loyalty. I can’t really blame them... I was the same way back on earth…’_

If Anne didn’t know better, she’d think Sasha was intentionally avoiding her! That just didn’t make sense though. Unless… _‘Maybe she’s nervous about it too? But she never gets nervous! She did seem pretty flustered when our lips touched though…’_

The thought filled her with a strange sense of satisfaction, a slight smile curving her lips at the idea that the invincible, oh so confident Sasha Waybright had been just as affected by their little make-out session as Anne herself. That felt like a victory all on it’s own, even if their duel had been cut short before a winner could be declared.

_‘Is it weird to think of a kiss as a fight? I mean, Sasha was the one who started it, so it’s not like I’m the one at fault for it turning into that…’_

“Uh… hey there?”

Anne was broken from her musings at the sound of Sasha’s voice, the blonde greeting her from just inside the large tent, holding the flap of the entrance open with one hand as she stared out at her quizzically.

At that moment, every thought Anne’d had about this meeting, every plan she’d made, and all the things she’d wanted to say, sailed right out of her head like a riverboat getting dragged by a rampaging catfish, leaving it entirely bereft of any socially-appropriate response or return-greeting to Sasha’s words.

Vaguely, her panicking mind realized that it was supposed to say something back, and Anne wracked her brain for the right words… _‘Come on Anne… something casual, and friendly. But not like, super desperate and needy. Because you’re NOT desperate! Not at all…’_

“Hey Sash!”

_‘Too casual! Too casual!’_

Now Anne just looked like an idiot, greeting Sasha like she hadn’t been caught standing outside her tent like a total creep... 

The look her friend gave her only reinforced that feeling, as Sasha tilted her head slightly, pink lips ever so slightly parting to show a hint of teeth in the way that they always did when she was annoyed, but too confused to say anything mean. The same teeth that had nipped at her own lips, almost drawing blood as Anne refused to pull away for even a moment, determined to not show any weakness as they…

“Uh…Anne?”

With a jolt, Anne realized she’d gotten distracted staring at Sasha’s mouth, adding even more to the embarrassment she felt as the other girl continued to look at her like she was some sort of alien.

_“I wanted to talk to you!”_ She blurted out quickly, hoping to salvage the situation. Anne clarified before Sasha could ask the obvious question. “I mean, I know we’ve talked already… a lot, in fact! It’s just… I wanted to talk to you… _away_ from everyone else. With no one else around!” She winced, realizing she’d basically repeated herself at the end there.

Luckily, Sasha didn’t point it out, snickering for reasons entirely unrelated to Anne’s social ineptitude as she pulled the flap back further, beckoning for her to come in. “I get it… those meetings aren’t exactly the best place to _socialize…_ either everyone’s all stuffy and dull like it’s a funeral, or they’re all screaming at each other over something stupid… and Marcy’s great, but she can be a bit… _much._ It’s like she thinks this is one of those Creatures and Caverns campaigns she’s always making us play...”

Anne didn’t respond for a moment, simply taking in the decor of Sasha’s tent. It was honestly pretty bare, especially for someone as… _dramatic_ as her friend. The bed looked comfy at least, covered in what looked to be the fur of _several_ different animals… Aside from that though, there was only a fairly basic-looking dresser at the foot of the bed, a dark-wood chest in the corner with Sasha’s sword leaning up against it, and a small wooden table against the far wall, two chairs on either side that were tucked in all the way under it, like they hadn’t been used often.

Sasha didn’t offer her a seat, and Anne didn’t ask for one. She wanted to be standing for what she had to say.

Finally, her brain caught up with Sasha’s words, and she furrowed her brow. “Uh… if I’m remembering things right, you’ve gotten pretty loud at those meetings a few times yourself Sash.”

The blonde rolled her eyes. “I only _get loud_ when I need to, _Anne.”_

Her words, spoken so matter-of-factly, and yet so flippantly at the same time, sent a spike of irritation down Anne’s throat. There was something about the way Sasha had said her name, like she was an _idiot_ for even bringing it up... The younger girl could already feel her anger rising, but she quashed it, knowing that it wouldn’t get her anywhere.

“So…” Sasha continued, ignorant of Anne’s inner struggle. “What did you want to talk about? I’m not going to apologize for trying to get us home, so don’t even bother with that.”

Again, Anne felt her annoyance building at Sasha’s needling, and she quickly decided that it was best to just get the words out there, or else they really _would_ get into a fight in the middle of camp. Taking a deep breath, she readied her measured, well-practiced words…

_“We need to talk about the kiss!”_

The words were ejected from her mouth in one long burst, with all the grace of an angry chimpanzee in a china shop. On drugs.

_‘Dang it! Dang it! FIGHT! I was supposed to say fight, not kiss!’_

Face feeling like she’d shoved it into a pot of boiling water, Anne stared mutely at the other girl, lips pressed tightly together to prevent any more potential slip-ups as she awaited her response, and wishing she could be anywhere but this tent. She’d even fight Sasha on that tower again if it meant avoiding the embarrassment of this moment.

Of all the reactions Anne expected from her poorly-chosen words, a _smirk_ would not have been her first guess. Maybe a third, fourth guess? Somewhere between Sasha telling her to get out or die, and the blonde declaring her undying love for her right then and there.

And yet, there it was, in all it’s smug, blood-boiling glory, wide enough to stretch the scar on Sasha’s face as she spoke. “Wow, _Anne…”_ She purred, stretching out her name in a way that somehow managed to be both aggravating and _thrilling_ at the same time. “I have to say, I’m _flattered…”_

Anne blinked in incomprehension. “What?”

“Oh, don’t play dumb now, _Anne…_ I know _exactly_ what’s going on here…”

Before Anne could say anything, or question _what the heck was going on,_ Sasha continued, brushing a hand through her golden strands casually as she closed her eyes. “You just haven’t felt the same since our little _encounter,_ right? Can’t stop thinking about it? Can’t stop wondering what it would be like to get another _taste?_ I guess I can’t really blame you, I am a pretty amazing kisser after all… And now, you’ve come here. To _me._ You’ve been _waiting_ for this haven’t you? So nervous and afraid, and yet so _eager_ to get me alone, so you can have _just one more chance_ to experience all of that again, without any toads to interrupt this time. Am I reading this right? I mean, I saw the way you couldn’t stop staring at my lips...”

As Sasha spoke, Anne bristled at her words, breaking from her stupor at the sheer _arrogance_ in her tone, her dismissiveness of the situation, as though she hadn’t been just as flustered back in that clearing…

Her first instinct was to deny it, to shut down that talk before she was forced to admit the truth in those words… As she looked closer though, she couldn’t help but notice something… _interesting._

Sasha was good at projecting the image she wanted other people to see, there was no doubt about that. At the same time, Anne had been her friend since _forever,_ and she’d long since learned the subtle little clues, the small _tells_ that would reveal Sasha’s true feelings, though she’d seldom had a reason to actually put that to use until coming to this strange dimension…

Now though, Anne could see the truth as clear as day. It was in the faintest of blushes on the blonde’s cheeks, the way each word seemed carefully chosen, as though Sasha was trying hard to remain calm and collected. Most interestingly, the things Sasha said, all that she accused Anne of… it all just seemed far too _specific_ for her to have determined just from the last few minutes. It was as though _Sasha_ had been thinking all those things herself, and was now trying to deflect her own hidden shame towards Anne...

Armed with that newfound insight, Anne put on her own confident smirk, fully aware that things were rapidly slipping away from the civil discourse she’d wanted, but not really able to find it in herself to care.

“Is that right? Sounds to me like you’re _projecting_ Sash.”

One blue eye popped open at that, glaring at her with a startled anger that made her smirk grow. “Wha-what does _that_ mean?” Sasha questioned quickly, failing to hide the agitation in her voice. _‘Gotcha…’_

“Well, I mean, you _talk_ a big game, but let’s not forget who started the kiss in the first place…”

“That was you!” Sasha spat at her acidly, both eyes open now as her blush started to become more apparent.. _“You_ were the one who jumped me back ther-”

“Only because _you_ pulled me down on top of you!” Anne fired back, not willing to give ground. “And I was talking about _intentionally,_ which was clearly _you! Obviously!”_

Sasha was starting to look quite caught off-guard by the direction of the conversation, something that Anne had never realized could look so attractive… “Oh yeah? Well… well… none of that would’ve ever happened if you’d just done what I said from the beginning! You have no one to blame but yourself for everything that went down there!” The blonde regained some of her swagger then, smiling in satisfaction as though she’d somehow won the argument with that.

For a moment, Anne could only stare at the other girl in pure, dumbfounded disbelief at the weakness of her logic, the mental hoops that she must have jumped through to somehow come to that conclusion… _‘She really is delusional, isn’t she?’_

Thinking quickly, Anne came up with a retort. _“Oooohhh…_ I get what this is about now…” She said back slowly, voice low and smooth and mocking. 

A hint of questioning entered Sasha’s eyes, but Anne gave her no time to respond, continuing with an easy, smug grin designed specifically to pick at the other girl’s pride. “I know you, Sasha. You just _love_ having all the control, don’t you? Only, when we kissed, you _lost_ that control… and I mean, _really_ lost it!”

She took a step towards the blonde, now fully engaged in this little conflict as she spoke the words that she _knew_ would incite Sasha’s wrath, if she hadn’t done so already… “So now… you’re trying to put it all on me, projecting all of the things you felt back there so you can act all pure and above-it-all, when we both know you _really_ enjoyed kissing me… all to protect your _fragile little ego_ from getting anymore bruised than it already is… _am I reading this right, Sash?”_

It was hard to tell if it was the accusation, or the parroting of Sasha’s own words back at her that did it, but the blonde’s face twisted in an expression of anger that made Anne’s heart race for a variety of reasons. Danger radiating off her in waves, Sasha took a step forward, one that Anne matched with her own, not willing to back down. 

_“Is that what you think?”_ Sasha growled lowly, a murderous glare in her eyes.

Despite the warnings her brain was sending her, Anne nodded, still carefully maintaining her smirk for effect.

“Well, _Anne..._ You clearly don’t know what you’re talking about, because I was _definitely_ in control for most of that fight. And I’m not just talking about the swords or the wrestling…”

Anne’s eyes widened slightly, but she kept her cool. “And what do you mean by that..?”

Sasha grinned savagely, looking like a great white shark that had found an injured seal with no friends around. “I mean, considering I had you on your back for the most of the fi-”

_“Shut up!”_ Anne cried, feeling her cheeks heat in embarrassment at the other girl’s words, so brazen in their description of the encounter. She struggled to defend herself as Sasha’s grin grew wider. “I mean… that was a pretty even contest if you ask me. You must be even more delusional than I thought if you think you won back there!”

For a moment, silence filled the tent as Sasha’s grin dropped, the other girl looking surprisingly… reserved? Finally, she seemed to find her voice, some of her confidence returning as she took another step forward, a little smirk on her lips. Now face-to-face in the center of the tent, Anne could feel the warmth radiating from Sasha as the blonde spoke. “Okay then.” She whispered confidently, her cheeks red. “If that’s what you think, then we could always _go again..._ see who _really wins…”_

Swallowing hard, Anne maintained eye contact, refusing to be cowed like the other girl no doubt expected. “Is that what you want?” She asked back, deciding not to answer quite yet, not even sure what she’d say…

Sasha was clearly trying to keep a cool head, but Anne could see the excitement in her eyes, hear the slight eagerness in her tone as she replied… “Well, I’m obviously not a _weirdo_ like you, but I don’t mind putting you in your place again so that you’ll get the message this time. Maybe then you’ll finally realize that I’m _better than you.”_

That did it.

Anne wasn’t sure just what Sasha was insinuating that she was better at. _Kissing? Fighting? Just in general?_ What she did know, was that she had no intention of allowing the other girl to continue laboring under the delusion of being better than her in any way. Not a chance.

A surge of anger rushing from her brain and through her entire being, Anne took one glance at Sasha’s lips, still curled into a smug smirk, and let impulsivity take over.

With a noise somewhere between a growl and a war-cry, Anne _lunged_ at Sasha, gripping her by the shoulders tightly and pushing her backwards as their lips slammed together roughly. Their teeth clacked together harshly at the graceless motion, but she didn’t care, finally absorbed in the action she’d been wanting to do for a month now.

Forced back by the movement, Sasha’s back was slammed into the small table at the end of the tent, eliciting a pained hiss against Anne’s lips that made her heart skip a beat.

For all her bluster, Sasha clearly wasn’t expecting such a move from Anne, and it took her a moment to reciprocate, hands coming down to her hips to hold onto her tightly, fingers digging into the flesh until Anne released her own hiss, slamming Sasha further against the table in punishment. At the same time, her own hands were gripping onto Sasha’s toned shoulders securely, leaving their mark on the pale flesh left exposed by the blonde’s armor.

Anne was fully in control, and it was _addicting._ She was in the perfect position to keep the other girl pinned, and she really couldn’t imagine how things could’ve gone any better than this.

For what felt like an eternity, her lips moved against Sasha’s eagerly, claiming them as her own and leaving no doubt as to who was in command of the kiss, even as Sasha tried in vain to take over. She wondered if this was how Sasha had felt back in that clearing. If so, she couldn’t blame the blonde for enjoying it so much. Anne could certainly get used to this…

Of course, Sasha wasn’t someone to simply give in, and already Anne could feel an iron grip on her hips, trying to reverse their positions as the blonde gave a frown of effort against her lips.

_‘Not a chance, Sash.’_

Grunting in effort, Anne shoved Sasha into the table once more, determined to make her understand how this was going to work. Unfortunately, she might have overestimated the ability of the table to hold up two adolescent girls locked in a struggle for dominance…

With a horrible _crack_ of splintering wood, the piece of furniture gave in, sending both girls to the ground in a heap as it split in two under their weight.

Anne groaned slightly, still atop Sasha on the floor as she struggled to reorient her perspective. Before she could do anything, she found her world spinning again as she suddenly found herself on her back, bits of wood jammed uncomfortably against her spine as she stared up into Sasha’s face, bright red as the older girl grinned in victory. They were both panting hard, until Sasha lunged down to connect their lips once more, apparently forgoing the need to breath in favor of continuing their feud.

With a huff of rage, Anne met her head on, already working to correct their positions and regain her position of superiority in their battle. She giggled manically against Sasha’s lips as she tipped them over once more, and the war continued, neither of them willing to give in until they had a clear winner between them...

Or at least, that was Anne’s intent, until the worst-case scenario happened.

Marcy’s voice rang out through the tent, accompanied by the sound of the tent flap being pushed aside as she entered. _“Sasha!_ Are you okay?! I heard a noise that sounded like something breaking, and I was worried that… _that…”_

Her cheeks on fire, Anne struggled to get up at the sound of Marcy within the tent, only for Sasha’s hard grip to hold her down, the blonde apparently unwilling to separate for anything.

Frustration and embarrassment warred for space within her mind as she finally gave up, simply turning her head to see Marcy standing in the entrance to the tent. The raven-head looked more shocked than Anne had ever seen her before, face lit up like a neon sign as she stared at the two of them on the floor, blinking dumbly at the sight before her.

“I-Marcy, I _swear,_ there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for all of this!”

_“Ugh,_ could you come back later? We’re kinda in the middle of something here Marsh.”

The difference between her response and Sasha’s was palpable, and Anne glared down at the older girl, who only stared back at her. _“Sasha!”_

_“What?_ You were thinking it too!”

At the sound of Marcy’s squeak of terror, Anne looked up again just in time to see the other girl disappear out of the tent once more, clearly intent on getting as far away from the situation as possible. 

Not that Anne could blame her.

She started struggling again, knowing she had to go explain herself before things between the three of them were ruined forever, but Sasha continued to hold her back. “Sash, let go! What are you doing?! I need to make sure Marcy’s okay!”

Sasha rolled her eyes. “She’ll be _fine…_ She’s a big girl, I’m sure she can handle it on her own for a bit…." A slow grin took hold of her face. "Unless you’re ready to give up?”

The blonde was goading her, Anne knew it. It still sent her blood boiling, and, with an angered huff, she smashed her lips against Sasha’s own grinning pair once more, determined to go as long as it took for her to claim victory in this strange duel of theirs. As they moved against each other frantically, Anne just hoped that Marcy would be okay until she’d dealt with the irritating blonde underneath her once and for all.

Of course, she knew that Sasha would never admit defeat. At least, not easily. For some reason, the thought was much more appealing than it probably should have been...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out my [Tumblr](https://thecrusadercomrade.tumblr.com/) to keep up with progress on all of my fics, interact with me, and see extra content related to my writing, such as deleted scenes!
> 
> 1\. Noticed an interesting little dichotomy that I didn't really intend. In the first chapter, they fought physically until they ended up kissing, and in this one, they fought with their words until they ended up kissing. Unintentional, but I think it's cool!


	3. As Friends Do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anne and Sasha explain things to Marcy. Sasha has an idea to resolve their ongoing dispute. Things go off the rails from there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Been a while since I've updated this one, huh? All the way back in November of last year. Well, I said in my schedule update on tumblr that I had a third chapter planned for this and here it is! A little bit of sashannarcy in this one, but sashanne is still the main focus for those of you who aren't really interested in the former, so don't worry!
> 
> 2\. As always, I hope you enjoy my writing, and I look forward to any feedback you might have to offer!

**Anne**

Hours. Their confrontation had lasted literal. Hours, and yet they still hadn’t determined a winner.

It wasn’t like Anne hadn’t given it one hundred percent after Marcy’s brief interruption. She’d torn into Sasha with all that she could muster, giving as good as she got as they rolled across the floor of the thankfully spacious tent. They’d traded positions countless times in their struggle, grappling with arms and legs as she did her best to remain on top and maintain the optimal angle for kissing the daylights out of her opponent.

By the end, her lips were sore, and bruised, and she probably had splinters from the times their battle had taken them across the broken remains of Sasha’s table. But Sasha _still_ hadn’t given up!

Admittedly, Anne had been well aware that victory would not be coming swiftly in their little competition. She knew Sasha, and she knew how prideful her friend could be. Little Miss Perfect didn’t seem to understand the concept of surrender. That didn’t mean she’d expected it to go on _this_ long!

Despite her rather understandable distraction at the time, Anne estimated that their duel had gone on for roughly two hours. Not counting the break they’d taken halfway through to catch their breath, where Sasha had laughed off her very reasonable request that she surrender, responding with her own completely unacceptable demand of the same. All delivered in between panting gasps for breath, since they’d just spent a probably unhealthy amount of time locked at the lips and breathing only through their noses, with only the shortest separations to taunt one another and steal a wisp of oxygen before they inevitably went back at it.

Was it normal to kiss that long, even in the regular, non-combative way? She didn’t think so.

When they’d finally agreed on a temporary truce after hours of inconclusive battling failed to make Sasha relent, the first thing on Anne’s mind was finding Marcy to explain the situation. Well, that, and an overwhelming sense of frustration and annoyance that Sasha _still_ had the energy to boast that she’d win next time.

Of course, Anne hadn’t been willing to let such a patently ridiculous statement go unchallenged, and the resulting lively debate had almost boiled over into another round before she managed to tear her eyes away from Sasha’s challenging gaze and towards the tent’s entrance.

(Not before promising herself that she’d _crush_ Sasha the next chance she got).

And so, knowing that they couldn’t put it off any longer, Anne had dragged an irritated Sasha along to Marcy’s tent. 

* * *

“What’s _she_ doing here?” a blue-skinned newt guard in full cloak and armor had questioned, blocking their path. Because one of the faces of the toad rebellion marching into the Newtopian section of the encampment clearly wasn't going to go unchallenged.

“She’s with me. We have something to discuss with Master Marcy at her tent,” Anne had replied in an official tone that was still foreign to her, and that had been all it took. Because Marcy was important enough to the newts that a simple namedrop carried a lot of authority, and while she was still adjusting to her friend’s newfound rank, she couldn’t deny how useful that was. Not to mention _really_ cool.

Marcy was in her tent, something Anne had admittedly been worried about when they’d approached the large, cloth structure, and she’d realized that Marcy could’ve chosen literally any spot in the camp to hide after she’d fled in terror from Sasha’s tent.

Thank Frog for small conveniences.

The ravenhead had been at her desk when she’d called out for them to enter, a pen in her hand, and her journal closed in front of her. Anne couldn’t comprehend how she’d found the time for research after the shock she’d had. At least she seemed to have recovered somewhat from walking in on them. Shortly after their arrival, she’d stood up to better face them, and they’d all remained standing while Anne stumbled through her attempt to explain just what Marcy had seen in a way that wouldn’t result in her dying of terminal embarrassment.

“What you saw back there, Marsh… It was a competition. A contest. We got into an argument, and we, uh… well, I know this sounds really weird, but we decided to settle things by… kissing… each... other...” Anne trailed off, well aware of how absurd the whole thing sounded out loud.

A full minute passed in silence. Anne waited for Marcy’s response, growing increasingly fidgety as the other girl stared at them with owl-wide eyes and red cheeks. She didn’t dare look at Sasha, not when she was half the reason for the current awkwardness.

“So… are you… together?” Marcy finally asked, blush intensifying as she wrung her hands in front of her.

Anne opened her mouth to answer, closed it again. She… actually didn’t know. She turned to Sasha.

“...Nah,” The blonde shrugged after a moment, somehow managing a lazy smirk despite the current atmosphere. “We aren’t dating or anything. I was just trying to show Anne who’s boss. Not my fault she’s so stubborn.”

“What,” Anne said. “Okay, listen-” she took a step towards the blonde. “I don’t know what you’re playing at, but if anyone is gonna get shown who’s the boss around here, it’s gonna be you-”

“Please don’t make out in my tent,” Marcy requested, and Anne’s ears burned.

“I-I wasn’t, I wasn’t going to-” Anne spluttered, because she _definitely_ had more self-control than what Marcy was implying.

“You see what I have to deal with?” Sasha said, _not helping the situation at all._ “She tries to jump me every chance she gets. It’s kinda cute, if I’m being honest. Still, I don’t have the spare time to humor her trying to make out with me constantly. I actually have important things to do.”

“Like what? Sitting around in your tent?” Anne scoffed. “You weren’t exactly doing a whole lot last time I checked.”

“Whatever.” Sasha rolled her eyes, apparently deciding to just ignore that she’d been caught in a total lie. The jerk. “The point is… maybe you can help us deal with this whole... situation?”

Well. Anne would be lying if she said she wasn’t caught off guard by _that._

* * *

**Marcy**

“What?” Marcy said, sounding meek even to her own ears. 

“What?” Anne echoed, so at least Marcy knew she wasn’t involved in whatever new scheme Sasha had concocted. 

“What?” Sasha said back, for a much different reason than either of them. “It makes sense. Anne is too much of a stubborn, little brat to ever give up, even when she’s outmatched. And, I think we all know she’s never gonna beat me the normal way.” As if anything about a _kiss-fight_ could be considered normal. “I mean, not to kiss-and-tell, but she’s like, all enthusiasm, no skill. It’s embarrassing. Honestly, you’d think she’d at least practice on a pillow or something so she wouldn’t be slobbering all over my-”

“Okay, that’s enough,” Anne interrupted tersely, much to Marcy's silent gratitude. Her cheeks were flushed red. “What exactly are you getting at here?”

She had an idea of what Sasha might be talking about, but just the thought of it made her face heat up. Marcy stayed quiet, waiting for the blonde herself to reveal her plan just in case she was wrong…

“It’s simple, really.” Sasha continued with a flap of her wrist, which was something she said about most of her ideas. Usually the ones that turned out to be anything _but_ simple. “You aren’t gonna give up, and I’m not going to let you win, so we can let _Marcy_ decide… she can judge our skills for us, and then we can finally confirm once and for all that I’m better than you.”

_“What?!”_ Anne’s eyes practically bulged out of her head.

Marcy could relate, but she restrained herself, the sheer surrealness of the situation somehow working to curtail any potential panic attack. Instead, she decided the best thing to do was to continue asking questions, as any good scholar would when faced with the unusual.

“Kiss-uh, I mean… kissing skills?” she asked, stomach twisting at the idea. Not in a good way, or even a bad way. Just… twisting.

“Uh, _yeah.”_ Sasha rolled her eyes again. “It’s perfect! It’ll help me and Anne resolve our little dispute way faster than if I just let her gnaw on my lips for a week until she gives up. Then we can go back to being regular, happy friends again.” She sauntered forward, until she was close enough that Marcy could reach out and touch her if she wanted to, and was it getting warmer inside the tent or was it just her? “You want that… don’t you, Marcy?”

She _did_ want that. But was she okay with doing... _this?_ It was… pretty weird.

It was just-friends didn’t _do_ that… right? But, Anne and Sasha were friends. Great friends! And she could personally attest that they’d kissed each other… very passionately, in fact. If they could do that with their friend, and _she_ was their friend…

But maybe it was a tier-based thing? Like, Anne and Sasha were friends long before she’d joined them, so maybe it was fine and normal for them, but if she did it, it would be weird? But Sasha seemed perfectly fine with kissing her, so maybe not. Why couldn’t there be some sort of guide for stuff like this? _Etiquette and Rules for Platonically Kissing Your Friends..._

“Why don’t you lay off?” Anne interjected, “she doesn’t have to do this if she doesn’t want to.” 

Did that mean that _Anne_ wanted to do it? Or that she didn’t? Marcy didn’t have long to ponder that question because Sasha was leaning in, and suddenly all she could focus on was _lips._ Red and puffy, and curled into a predatory smirk.

Marcy’s face burned, and yet strangely enough, the idea of what they were about to do wasn’t entirely unwelcome.

...It _would_ be nice to help her friends get along again, _and_ she’d always wanted to know what it was like to kiss someone, just for the novelty, and she had more justifications, but that all went out the window because _Sasha’s right hand was on her face, thumb brushing over her cheek like they’d done this a million times before,_ and suddenly Marcy had an answer to her first question. 

Vibrant, blue eyes stared into her own pair, silently asking, almost _demanding_ permission. Marcy stared back, trying to convey her answer without any humiliating words...

And then Sasha’s lips were on hers, hard, and Marcy now also knew what it was like to kiss someone.

It was _amazing._ And terrifying. But that second part might’ve just been Sasha.

She was a gazelle at the mercy of a lion, playing with it’s food as it closed in for the kill. She was a prisoner, helpless and chained and desperate while her captor took her sweet time with the most pleasant torture she’d ever experienced. Sasha’s lips on hers were a declaration of ownership, like the most intense drug trip the human brain could ever hope to know. 

...Not that she’d ever taken drugs to know what that was like, but Marcy reasoned it couldn’t be all that different seeing how the chemical responsible for pleasure responses, dopamine, actually had a lot in common with most forms of drug highs...

...Maybe Sasha wasn’t the best representative sample for a normal kiss. There was no way any regular person could make it feel _this_ good on the first try. 

The hand that was on her cheek slid back until it was tangled in her hair, and Marcy shivered at the possessive grip. She had to crane her neck back to accommodate Sasha’s height as the blonde leaned down, sighing near-silently against burning-hot lips at how _small_ she felt.

(A part of her wanted to examine just _why_ those two things were so appealing to her; the rest of her was too busy shrieking in mindless glee to care).

She felt the urge to stick her leg up in the air, like they always did in the movies. She resisted it. Knowing her, she’d somehow manage to trip and completely ruin this moment…

* * *

**Anne**

Her first instinct was to march forward and pry Sasha off of Marcy, because _what the heck, Sash?_ She couldn’t just _do_ that, Marcy was too sensitive, she couldn’t handle Sasha like Anne had learned to, especially not when the blonde was _grabbing her by the hair-_ okay, she was stopping this _right now._

She took a step forward, and at that moment she noticed Marcy’s reaction. And stopped, dead in her tracks.

Her genius friend wrapped her arms around Sasha, standing up on her toes to meet the kiss. As Sasha pulled her in by her hair with one hand, Marcy released a helpless whimper.

Anne’s face suddenly felt uncomfortably warm. She fisted her skirt in her hands, and watched.

Just as suddenly as she’d started the kiss, Sasha pulled away, releasing Marcy and taking a step back. Her cheeks held a slight blush, but her smirk was wide as she turned her gaze to Anne.

Blinking dazedly, Marcy swayed for a moment, seemingly having forgotten how to stand in the face of Sasha’s aggressive energy. Anne could relate.

“Enjoy the show?” Sasha asked.

_Yes._ “No.” Anne swallowed heavily. “You shouldn’t have done that. Without asking her, I mean.”

"What for? It’s not like she didn’t want it.”

“You didn’t know that,” Anne insisted, because it was the right thing to say.

“It’s okay,” Marcy murmured, shaking her head as if to clear it, “I… I didn’t mind.”

“See?” Sasha grinned the smuggest of grins. “Now… wanna try and beat that?”

It was impossible to miss the unspoken _you can’t._ Anne frowned, but moved towards Marcy determinedly. “Only if she wants to.”

“Oh, she’ll want to. She might regret it though, once you start drooling on her…”

Anne ignored the barb, focusing on Marcy in front of her. “Are you really okay with this?” she asked softly. She could practically hear Sasha rolling her eyes behind her. “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to-”

“Yes!” Marcy squeaked, hands curled into fists by her sides. “I mean, yes… please. I want to.”

Wow. That was ridiculously cute.

“Okay.” Anne nodded at that, bringing a hand around to gently cup the back of Marcy’s neck. She wanted this to be as nice as possible for her friend.

She looked into Marcy’s eyes for any sign that this was unwanted. She found none. In fact, she found the opposite.

Slowly, she drew Marcy towards her...

* * *

**Marcy**

It was so firm, yet also gentle. Soft, but so very passionate. Marcy had never felt so safe in her entire life.

A hand pressed into the small of her back, pulling her in as though Anne was trying to get her as close as possible. The other was at the back of her neck, rubbing soothingly, holding her into the kiss. It was just as claiming as Sasha’s had been, but in a sweet, protective way. Just as overwhelming, just as amazing. She wrapped her arms loosely around Anne’s frame, craving that feeling of connection, of being grounded.

It was apparent now that Sasha hadn’t been entirely truthful about Anne’s supposed lack of skill.

If Sasha was a predator, with Marcy as her prey, then Anne was a guardian, keeping her shielded from all harm.

...Maybe she’d been wrong about Sasha being an outlier in terms of kissing ability. Or maybe Marcy had a hidden talent for finding friends who just happened to be fantastic kissers. She’d always known her friends were special, but this...

Marcy released a sigh against Anne’s lips, a feeling of pure contentment washing over her.

Finally, regrettably, Anne pulled away. But unlike Sasha, she didn’t let go. If anything, her arms tightened their hold, as she stared into Marcy’s eyes with unyielding warmth. Marcy stared back, lost in the intimacy of the moment…

* * *

**Sasha**

They were just… _looking at each other._

The kiss was over, and Sasha was ready to celebrate the announcement of her victory, but they still hadn’t let each other go. They just sort of… swayed together. Like the world’s laziest ballroom dance. It was _nauseating._ Why would they even-

In a flash of outrage, Sasha realized what Anne was doing.

“Okay, that’s enough! Stop cheating already!”

Anne looked over her shoulder at her, confusion and annoyance fighting for space in her expression. “What are you talking about?” Marcy blinked rapidly, like her mind had been released from some sort of spell. Anne’s spell.

“Don’t play dumb with me, Boonchuy!” No way was Sasha letting her get away with this blatant injustice. “You’re trying to suck up to Marcy by cuddling her like some helpless, little puppy. This is a _kissing_ contest, not a _hugging_ contest. Stop holding her like that!”

“Seriously?” The cheater had the audacity to sound incredulous. “I’m not cheating just because _I_ know how to treat a lady. It’s called having _class,_ Sash. Maybe give it a try sometime?”

“That’s rich coming from the girl who runs around with one shoe.” Sasha retorted. “Let. Her. Go.”

_“Fiiiine.”_ Anne rolled her eyes, releasing their friend. Unlike with Sasha, Marcy didn’t stumble at all. Good.

“Okay, so… who won?” Sasha inquired. “I mean, I know it was me, but could you hurry up and let Anne down gently already? The quicker it’s done, the quicker Anne can start repairing her shattered self-esteem.”

“Really, Sash?” Anne gave her a dirty look. She ignored it, focused solely on Marcy.

A few moments passed in silence, as Marcy seemed to process her question. “I, uh, I mean, well…” The shorter girl’s face grew redder with each stuttered word, until her face held a striking resemblance to a tomato. “I… don’t know?” She said, making it sound almost like a question.

What.

“What?” Anne voiced for the both of them. 

“I don’t know,” Marcy repeated, actually seeming to gain confidence from Anne’s confusion. “I mean, I can’t really make an accurate comparison with such limited data. I-I need a larger sample size before I can make a well-informed decision. One just isn’t enough… to determine a winner, I mean.”

Okay. Fine. Sasha could work with that.

“Alright then,” Sasha said. She stepped past Anne, who evidently was still working through Marcy’s words judging by the dumb look on her face, and into Marcy’s personal space once more.

She grinned down at the shorter girl, relishing the way she cowered ever so slightly. “C’mon then. Let me show you why Anne is nothing compared to me.” She didn’t wait for a response. She seized Marcy’s right hand in her own, lacing her left arm around the shorter girl’s back and pulling her close. Then, she slammed her lips into Marcy’s, dipping her back until Sasha’s arm was the only thing keeping her from falling to the ground. If that didn’t prove how much better she was than Anne, she didn’t know what would! 

(This was a _very_ classy move. Anne didn’t know what she was talking about, like always).

The kiss lasted over a minute, until Sasha was sure she’d stolen Marcy’s breath away. Only then did she pull her up, releasing her to gasp for air as she turned to Anne to inform her opponent of the hopelessness of her situation. “You still sure you can beat that? You should just give up now and stop wasting all of our time.”

Anne’s eyes narrowed…

* * *

**Marcy**

She barely had a moment to recover from Sasha’s aggressive onslaught before she found herself in Anne’s arms once more. Anne paused for just a moment, to brush a lock of hair out of Marcy’s face, before she was leaning in again…

Just as sweet-soft as before. Just as amazing. Just as good as Sasha’s. Again.

This state of affairs would be fine, were it not for the fact that Marcy had not managed to catch a decent breath of air before being pulled into the kiss and her lungs were starting to burn. That was a slight problem.

Marcy felt a grip on her arm, and then she was being yanked away from Anne, and suddenly she was in Sasha’s arms instead. The blonde’s lips were moving as she looked off to the side, and Marcy could only assume that she was directing some sort of snarky comment or taunt at Anne, but her brain was just a little too fried to be able to do something like comprehend english at that moment, and what little capacity it had left was focused on directing her respiratory system to gather as much oxygen as possible before Sasha’s lips were planted on hers yet again. And those lips didn’t let up until she felt lightheaded and her lungs burned. Again.

This cycle occurred a few more times. If Marcy’s calculations were correct, the exact number was somewhere between 3 and a million. Between the constant, head-spinning back and forth of hard and soft, kind and possessive, and how she was pretty sure her brain was suffering oxygen-deprivation, her mind was just a little bit too hazy to be sure.

She’d run the math later, if she even remembered any of this.

Vaguely, Marcy became aware that the kisses had stopped at some point, and that she was being asked a question. She should… probably get on that.

* * *

**Sasha**

“Yo, Marcy… you there? Huh, looks like she’s broken. Guess I was just too much for her,” Sasha observed, letting herself gloat a little over her handiwork.

Disheveled hair, vacant eyes, swaying like she could fall over at any second… yeah, Marcy was pretty messed up. Not that there was any other outcome when Sasha applied all of her talent like that. She really should’ve seen this coming. She was just too good...

“How do you know it wasn’t _me_ who broke her?” Anne said, as she crossed her arms, chipping at Sasha’s good mood like she always managed to these days.

Sasha rolled her eyes, making sure Anne could see it. “Oh, please. Like you’d ever be able to-”

“I’m here! I’m fine!” Marcy shouted suddenly, finally waking up from her daze. She blinked, eyes regaining a hint of her usual spark. “...What was the question?”

Not enough, apparently.

“Good, you’re back.” They could get right down to business. “You got _plenty_ of samples, so who won? Not that it should be much of a decision at this point…” That got another dirty look from Anne. It was the look of an about-to-be loser, so Sasha didn’t pay it any mind.

Marcy blinked. And blinked again. Nothing.

Just as Sasha was starting to feel the irritation that came with having to repeat herself, Marcy jumped slightly, like she’d been caught dozing off. “Oh, that! I, ummm, well…” her words turned to mumbles, and now Sasha was feeling the irritation of needing to tell someone to speak up.

“What was that, Marbles?” Surprisingly, that came from Anne. Sasha wasn’t sure why she was so eager to find out how badly she’d been crushed. Unless she somehow thought that she’d won….

While Sasha pondered Anne’s delusions, Marcy finally seemed to find her voice.

“I…” the little genius was quiet as a mouse. “...I don’t know who won.”

And Sasha’s ponderings ceased.

_“What?!”_ Again, Anne was the first to speak up. Clearly, she was more invested in this contest than she’d let on. 

“What is _that_ supposed to mean?!” Sasha contributed, not willing to be outdone, even in outrage. Marcy couldn’t just-she couldn’t just _do that_ after all the effort she’d put in-she was _supposed to win!_ She deserved it! Sasha Waybright did not settle for second place, and she did _not_ do _ties._

“I don’t know who won,” Marcy said again, louder, as though they simply hadn’t heard her right the first time, “I mean-there’s just so many variables to consider! So many factors that are entirely subjective! Working out the science behind it and coming to a proper conclusion could take _days,_ or _weeks,_ or-”

Sasha groaned, officially fed up with this. “This isn’t going to solve _anything!_ I don’t care about science, I just want to prove that I’m a better kisser than _her!”_ She jabbed a thumb at Anne, who looked at least as aggravated as Sasha herself was. “How am I supposed to prove I’m better than Ms. Cuddles over here if you can’t even make a judgement call on a couple of lousy kisses?!”

“I-guys, I’m sure we can figure something out, it’ll just take time-”

“Wait, hold on,” Anne said, taking a step closer to Sasha with a furrowed brow, “what does _Ms. Cuddles_ mean? Just because I actually know how to be sweet and caring? Give me a break.”

“Guys, please-”

“It _means_ that you know you can’t kiss as good as me, so you try to make up for it with gross, _huggy-wuggy_ stuff. It’s a crutch.” A pathetic one at that. 

Sasha took a step of her own. She could already sense where this was leading, and her heart started to beat faster in anticipation.

Some part of her, deep within, was aware that getting into this right now, in front of Marcy, and in Marcy’s own tent of all places, was probably not the greatest idea in the world. This part of her was promptly told to shut up and mind it’s own business, because she wanted this, and no one got to tell Sasha what to do.

“First of all, _being nice_ is not a crutch! It’s important! And second of all, I can kiss _way_ better than you.” Another step. “At least I actually know how to make my kissing partner feel good. You just slam your lips into their lips and hope for the best. It’s not hot, it’s just sad.” 

Well. Sasha couldn’t take that lying down. “Oh, you’ll be real sad when I’m done with you-”

“Oh, yeah? Bring it!”

With one last step from each of them, Sasha was nose to nose with Anne, looking down into her friend/rival’s glaring eyes with a smirk. She was ready to tackle Anne to the ground right then and there and continue this the old-fashioned way… or at least, the slightly-older-fashioned way, since this whole competition had only started a month ago. Whatever. She was ready for it. She was going to show Anne who’s boss once and for all, no matter how long it took her to get the message...

* * *

**Marcy**

Marcy sighed.

It looked like her friends were going to be busy for a while. They were completely dead to the world except for each other, and from the looks of things they’d soon escalate to what she’d seen walking into Sasha’s tent. Stubborn and competitive as they both were, she doubted she stood any chance of stopping them at this point.

Hopefully they wouldn’t break any of her furniture.

She grabbed her journal off her desk, deciding that it was best to vacate the area before they started locking lips. Marcy already had the perfect shady tree picked out in her mind for her to sit under and document everything that had just happened. In excruciating detail.

All for science, of course. She’d already written about what she witnessed at Sasha’s tent before they’d come calling to explain it themselves. This entire experience had been a great learning moment for a topic she hadn’t really known much about. The fact that she’d gotten some first-hand practice on the subject was an added bonus. Now was the time to compile all she’d discovered in her journal for future reference…

Who knew when she might need that information again? Knowledge never hurt anything.

Slipping out of the tent while Anne and Sasha were distracted, Marcy had the presence of mind to flag down a passing newt. She would be at the tree if anyone needed her. No one was to enter her tent for any reason until she specified otherwise. Spread the word.

The last thing she wanted to have to do was explain why Anne and Grime’s lieutenant were found making out in her tent. She doubted they wanted to either. 

They’d appreciate her discretion, once they were done with each other.

(The newt guard, being a good soldier who followed orders without question, did not ask if Master Marcy’s request had anything to do with the several, shouting voices he’d heard within the tent. He simply nodded his obedience, then marched off in a very professional manner to pass along her command/gossip about it with his fellow guards. Juicy rumors were a much-valued currency amongst soldiers, and he knew his comrades would be eager to theorize on what exactly was going on with the Chief Ranger and her fellow humans).

* * *

**Anne**

In the back of her mind, Anne registered that Marcy had left the tent, and that she should probably stop what was happening, follow after her, and apologize for forcing her to flee her own living space to avoid the imminent continuation of her unconventional feud with their mutual friend. However, as terrible as she knew it was, comforting her friend was no longer at the top of her list of priorities. That position had been taken by the overwhelming need to wipe the growing smirk off of Sasha’s stupid, smug, beautiful face.

She frowned at that last thought, and that, combined with the sudden recollection of Marcy’s first question from earlier, enabled her to take a step back from her blonde rival to ask a question of her own. She fought back the urge to laugh at the affronted look on Sasha’s face.

“What are we?” she asked, letting her tongue run over her lips to wet them.

Sasha’s brow crinkled, frustration in her eyes at the delay. “What?”

“What are we… to each other?” She needed to know, before they continued. Not that she was sure there was any answer that would keep her from jumping the other girl in a minute.

“We’re friends, obviously.” Sasha rolled her eyes.

“Friends don’t normally kiss each other like we do.” Anne pointed out.

_“Best_ friends, then,” Sasha amended, a strangely tender look in her eyes that made Anne’s heart twist… “even if you _are_ a stubborn, little idiot.” It felt like some clever joke between them, amplified by Sasha’s grin.

Anne grinned back, letting herself be drawn into it. “The _very_ best,” she agreed… “even if you _are_ an annoying control freak.”

A flash of heat entered Sasha’s eyes at that. They grinned at each other, until Sasha reached out to take Anne’s hand in her own, tugging lightly. “C’mere,” she murmured, “I’m not done with you, yet.” Anne resisted, purely because she could, and also because the little frown Sasha made at her refusal was adorable.

“Nuh uh,” Anne said back, _“you_ come over _here._ This isn’t over until you give up and say that I’m better.”

“Never gonna happen,” Sasha shot back.

“Wanna bet?” 

They matched challenging gazes, and Anne couldn’t tell who moved first, but then they were both leaning into each other, pressing smile against smile in a sort of quasi-kiss. They giggled into each other’s mouths at how ridiculous they were, and then Sasha was pulling her closer by her shirt, and Anne’s hand was tangling in luscious, blonde hair, and the kiss turned very real.

Then, Sasha’s perfect, white teeth nipped sharply at her bottom lip, and well, Anne couldn’t very well ignore such an obvious challenge, now could she? They tumbled to the floor in a sprawl of limbs, already grappling for position before they’d even fully landed…

And their feud continued.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out my [Tumblr](https://thecrusadercomrade.tumblr.com/) to keep up with progress on all of my fics, interact with me, and see extra content related to my writing, such as deleted scenes!

**Author's Note:**

> Check out my [Tumblr](https://thecrusadercomrade.tumblr.com/) to keep up with progress on all of my fics, interact with me, and see extra content related to my writing, such as deleted scenes!
> 
> 1\. Oh Anne... gotta love the walk of shame back to the Plantars... I wanted to do a fic like this for a while, with Anne and Sasha being competitive, so this request was honestly a blessing in disguise once I figured out how to make it work!
> 
> 2\. Also I won't lie I went back and forth on a name for this several times... I'm still not entirely satisfied, but oh well!


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